Hassan’s falsehoods: Does she even care about the truth?

Most politicians speak untruths slyly, using turns of phrase that give misleading impressions without amounting to verifiable falsehoods. Not Gov. Maggie Hassan. She just blurts out blatantly untrue statements.

In May, when the Senate Finance Committee approved a state budget, Hassan said it contained “deep cuts to Health and Human Services and employees” and that it would “put at risk critical areas, including mental health care, funding the waitlist for people with developmental disabilities, the CHINS program, and the ability to deliver basic services.”

Sounds frightening. But the Senate Finance Committee budget increased spending for Health and Human Services. It spent the same on HHS as the House budget did. It also increased spending on mental health services, disability services and the section of HHS that houses the CHINS program.

On Tuesday, in response to a court ruling about New Hampshire’s educational scholarship tax credits, Hassan said “The voucher tax credit would divert millions of dollars in taxpayer money to religious schools with no accountability or oversight.”

First, it’s not a voucher program, which she knows. Second, both the scholarship program and the religious schools have state oversight, as prescribed by law and administrative rules — which she also knows. The idea that there is “no accountability or oversight” is plainly, demonstrably untrue.

When the people say they want someone in office who is not a typical politician, this is not what they mean.